Shinigami Sasuke
by Arithra
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke dies and finds himself in a world where Chakra does not exist. A sword is with him, and he hears a voice inside his head and no matter how cracked up he was, that has never happened before. Turns out the sword is a Zanpaktou, and the voice is somewhat normalish... or would have been, if that blasted spirit did not look and act like the dobe.
1. die laughing

The first chapter of a flashfic idea I had some time ago, featuring Sasuke dying and finding himself in Soul Society. The lengh of the chapters might vary from each other.

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warning: crossover, Sasuke, character death, english is not the authors first language

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**Chapter 1: die laughing**

Uchiha Sasuke died under a sky tainted in the very same red that was slowly but surely drenching the ground around him.

He died alone every last one of the people he had once called friends dead for a long time.

He died with the sound of his enemies, his ancestor laughter ringing in his ears. Uchiha Sasuke died knowing that there was no such thing as a second chance and even if there was, he would not have deserved it.

He died having archived all his goals.

His brother dead by his hands as he had dreamed for years, yet he wished nothing more then for Itachi to be alive and well.

Danzou the instigator of the massacre killed by the legacy of the very family he strove to eradicate.

His home village destroyed and razed to the ground, but he had not felt even the faintest spark of satisfaction when the head of the fourth Hokage fell from the mountain and buried the people of Konoha, who had searched for safety in the shadow of the mountain range, under it.

His best friend dead by his hand.

And his ancestry, lying no more than a couple of feet away from him, the crimson blood mixing with his own. The mans eyes, one red and purple – Sharingan and Rinnegan – gazing at him yet seeing nothing.

There was no satisfaction. None.

With Naruto death had come a startling clarity. And the knowledge that there was nothing left for him in this world, there would be no turning back and if he should do so anyway what would await him would be nothing but death.

With his once upon a times best friend death - the blood was still clinging to his hands and clothes – had come the knowledge that Kakashi had been right so many years ago, when he told him, that he would regret killing Naruto.

He did, though he wasn't sure why. And wasn't that funny?

Here he was slowly bleeding to death and regretting nothing more than the fact that he had killed Naruto, not even killing Itachi.

A chuckle tore his way out of his throat and blood dribbled down his chin.

Slowly the chuckle turned into full-blown laughter and Sasuke was idly reminded of the way Madara had laughed before he had beheaded him.

Uchiha Sasuke died laughing like the madman he had become.

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I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are welcome!


	2. live fighting

Here is the second chapter. Thank you for all the encouragements I got after I uploaded the first one!

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**Chapter 2: live fighting**

It was instinct, honed by years upon years in battle that made him dodge the sword that had been aimed for his throat and snap open his eyes.

Fighting a sudden sense of vertigo, Sasuke spun and kicked another approaching man in the gut, sending him flying away from him.

The attackers did not relent however and as Sasuke evaded another blow he could easily make out five other silhouettes coming from the forest that he found himself in. He had no idea where he was, but right now that did not matter.

Instinctively he reached for the sword that hung on his belt only to find it missing. He squashed down the panic that momentarily rose in him and aimed a harsh strike at the jugular of another attacker.

One after another his attackers died, his hesitation on taking lives having vanished what felt so very long ago and finally Sasuke found himself alone in the small clearing he had apparently been sleeping in.

Sasuke frowned and tried to figure out how he had landed here and as soon as he did he wanted to erase the memories from his mind. He remembered the fighting, he remembered the destruction and he remembered dieing.

It was strange. He knew that there was no way he could have survived with his injuries

Yet here he was.

He looked down and was startled to realize that there was no blood on his clothes. That his enemies blood had not touched him wasn't surprising, but he had bleed to death and yet his clothes showed no bloodstains.

And he wasn't wearing his usual clothes. There were no Ninja sandals his feet were bare and instead of the black clothes he had worn since Itachis death, he was clothed in a faded black yutaka.

The only explanation he could come up with was that this was the afterlife. Sasuke knew that he had died, but if this was hell, and he had no illusions about the fact that he would not deserve a peaceful death, then his live had been worse.

He glanced around in the clearing looking for a weapon. He had no idea where he was, but it was unlikely that he was in friendly territory given that the men had attacked him while he was seemingly sleeping.

His eyes flickered over the weapons that were strewn across the floor. Some sticking from the ground others still in their now dead owners hands. It was one single sword lying on the ground as if it had been placed there instead of having fallen like the others that finally drew his attention. Sasuke fought the urge to grab it and make sure no one else could take it.

He knew that the sword wasn't his and yet it was. It wasn't the slim chokuto he had attained during his time with Orochimaru, it was a katana with a black sheath one with an orange hilt and a small pendant dangling from its hilt.

Bending down to pick up the blade Sasuke was startled by the sudden sense of rightness that came over him as soon as he touched it. Blinking Sasuke stood straight again and drew the blade. It was sharp, obviously in good condition but the blade was dull, barely reflecting any light.

Unwillingly Sasuke felt his lips twitch.

And assassins blade – how fitting.

He was just about to attach the blade to his belt when his eyes landed on the small pendant again and he froze mid movement.

The leaf insignia, dangling from a black leather cord twinkled in the sparse light as if to mock him.

He reached out to rip it off but his hand froze around the pendant. He remembered the last time he had seen it. Naruto had lost it during their fight, he had carried it with him, next to the allied forces headband that he had worn and it had fallen out of the blondes pocket when the fight had come to an end and even the Ninetailes healing could no longer keep its hosts memories at bay. Sasuke had been left standing next to it when Madara had taken Naruto away to remove the Kyuubi once and for all and Sasuke remembered staring at it for a long time.

Maybe he would leave it there, at least for now. So he would never forget. So he would not forget what he had achived in his life, even if part of him thought it was more that he should never forget what he had destroyed in his quest for vengeance. So he would never forget the lives he had doomed to a fate worse then his own.

Once more he let his eyes wander around the clearing.

The bodies were still there and Sasuke knew scavengers would arrive soon to feast on their remains, given the number of the bodies it was unlikely that there would be nothing left.

With a sigh Sasuke went to work and dumped the bodies on one big pile. He would burn them and leave it wasn't like a fire jutsu took much effort.

Forming the handseals Sasuke took a deep breath. Instantly he realized that something was wrong he was proven right when he breathed out and nothing happened. For some strange reason he had not molded any chakra.

He tried again this time paying more attention to his chakra, but the energy he felt under his skin did not react.

His frown deepened and he concentrated. Fine tuned chakra control had never been his strongest point, but he hadn't been bad either. There was one way to test, something he had never failed at after he had managed it once.

With the frown still marring his features Sasuke tried to activate his Sharingan, but nothing happened.

Had he been caught in the genjutsu Madara had spun around the world before Sasuke had killed him? It should be impossible, a dead person could not be caught in an illusion, but he would be the first to agree that the Sharingan had evolved again and again, getting stronger and stronger. Madara had had his for a long time, maybe this was a genjustu that had been activated upon the mans death.

But if that was the case it should have activated itself immediately after the mans death. Sasuke wasn't sure how long he had lived after Madara had breathed his last, but he knew that it hadn't been seconds, or even minutes. He had been lying in his own blood for a long time.

The only other option was that this was in fact the afterlife.

Sasuke glanced at the dead bodies he had piled up at the other side of the clearing.

What a pleasant place.

Still, he could not use jutsu, despite the fact that he could feel the energy bubbling under his skin. He would never be a sensor, but he was quite aware of his own chakra.

The energy he felt felt a lot like chakra yet nothing like it at the same time. The greatest difference was that he could not mold it and direct it with handsigns despite the fact that he had been able to use it instinctively during the fight.

There was nothing he could do about the bodies now and since he didn't intend to stick around it wouldn't be his problem anyway.

Shaking his head Sasuke brushed aside those thoughts walked into the thick forest surrounding the clearing, wondering where this would lead him now.

The forest was eerily silent, but he swore he could hear a chuckle that sounded a lot like Naruto.

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Well nothing much happens here. Sasuke more or less arrives in Sould Society and not in one of the better districts.

Thank you for reading! Please read and review.


	3. keep breathing

Here is the third chapter of Shinigami Sasuke. Sorry for the wait, but somehow I wasn't really in the mood to write be it Bleach, Naruto or One Piece...

I thank you for all the encouragement I got though. It was the main reason that the chapter kept growing slowly but surely!

And well I had some time and the chapter was mostly finished anyway. There are some good things about far too long train rides after all. Who would have !

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**Chapter 3: keep breathing**

Sasuke wasn't quite sure for how long he had been traveling. It might have been four days or maybe only two after all, he had seen the night sky once, but he could have missed it another time, because the canopy of the forest was thick and all he had seen even in those few moments, had been quick glimpses.

The only real indication he had that more time had passed was the gnawing hunger he felt.

At first Sasuke had believed that he must be imagining it, after all he was quite sure that he was dead and the dead should not feel hunger. The dead, a part of his mind commented, should also not be able to die again, yet he had managed to kill his attackers when he had first woken up.

They had died and before that they had bled.

Sasuke knew he should find something to eat. Traveling at his pace was not healthy without proper nutrition.

Given the fact that he was in the middle of seemingly nowhere, no sign of civilization, no wildlife with only berserk bandits for company, that endeavor turned out to be much more difficult then he had expected it would be given that he was in a forest.

Hypothetically speaking he could still resort to cannibalism he supposed, but he wasn't that far gone yet and hoped he would never be.

Sasuke was quite sure that he would not be able to continue without food for much longer, especially since he found himself clashing with outlaws again and again. And even if they did not pose a challenge to him, it was still slowly but surely wearing down his energy reserves.

After he had been attacked by group of what seemed to be outlaws for a couple of times, Sasuke had learned that the new energy that seemed to run through him was different from chakra in more way then simply the way it could be used. It seemed to be more like killing intent then Sasuke had assumed at first.

He had come to this revelation by accident while fighting off against another band of bandits that seemed to rove this forest with alarming frequency. He had been irritated by the lack of nourishment and their continued tenacity which had caused him to release his firm control on the energy.

The moment he did so his attackers had been on the ground desperately struggling to breath. It had reminded him of his first encounter with Orochimaru in the forest of death, when the man had nearly paralyzed him with simply killing intend.

It had proved to be a valuable tool against the outlaws roaming the forest as it did not require Sasuke to spend his energy on fending of their desperate attacks.

But even traveling through the seemingly endless forest was slowly but surely using up his reserves and it was as if the scenery did never change.

Sasuke could not help but wonder if this was what the afterlife was. A place that seemed to consist of nothing but of bloodthirthy murderers and an endless forest one was lost it

It was maybe a little ironic.

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Maybe two days later, when he finally reached the edge of the forest that Sasuke had feared he would never leave again, he was startled by the sight of smoke rising somewhere in the distance.

It was a sight that made him stop and stare for more than just a simply moment. He had not believed that he would ever find a sight of civilized life and what was no before him was strangely idyllic.

A small wooden house with a small garden that seemed to be hidden behind a high, but not particularity sturdy looking wooden fence.

Wearily Sasuke approached the house when he suddenly felt something attempt to push him down. It was an intense feeling of power and unwillingly his lips curled into a smile of anticipation.

It seemed like this was one opponent he could neither underestimate nor hold back against, especially not in his weakened form.

Sasukes hand was already on the handle of his sword when the door opened and he did not move it away, even if the sight of the person who was facing him had surprised him.

The woman who opened the door was old. Seemingly ancient even, with deep wrinkled lining her weathered face, gnarled hands and white hair yet she held herself with a dignity that Sasuke had not expected to find in a place such as this.

It was this air of dignity that made Sasuke rethink his plans and look at her more closely. There were few people he had met that this woman reminded him off in a way. Among them the Third Hokage, but above all, down the the winkles around her eyes, the woman reminded him of Nekobaba.

And it was the resemblance that made Sasuke bow respectfully before addressing her.

When she opened the door and had spotted him she had looked at him warily, obviously aware of the dangerous surroundings she lived it, yet when he bowed a twinkle of amusement entered her eyes.

"How can I help you young man?"

Her voice was brittle with age, yet higher then Sasuke had expected.

"I would like to ask some questions?"

He wasn't sure why formulated his intentions as a question, but the last of the tension faded from the old womans stance.

"Ah you are new then?"

He nodded hesitatingly, wondering if it was normal for people to find themselves in the forest where he had woken up, but the old woman did not elaborate instead she simply gave him a kind smile and beckoned for him to step into the house.

Wearily Sasuke stepped inside, deciding that even if it was a trap, there was nothing left for him left to loose and, especially considering the smell of food, everything left to gain.

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The old woman turned out to be a blessing instead of the trap part of Sasuke had still expected. Upon noticing his focus on the stew that had been on the stove she had feed him and answered his questions.

Obviously amused be his polite behavior, something that one did not encounter all that often here in the 76 district of East Rukongai, she seemed to have taken a shine to him stating that he reminded her of the grandson she once had.

Sasuke hoped that she was wrong about that, for both her own and her grandson sake, but Kureha-oba-san, as the old lady had urged him to call her, had simply waved his concerns away, stating that it did not matter what he had done in life, the fact alone that he was here meant that he had paid all the debts he had accumulated in life.

This had sparked a lot of new questions on Sasukes part, questions about whose answers he wasn't sure how to feel.

Even the fact that some of his guesses turned out to be true did not help matters.

Reiatsu. The force he felt now, similar to chakra yet completely different. It was one of the reason that Kureha-oba-san remained mostly undisturbed even here in theses lawless lands where only power mattered.

Luckily that was something the old lady had in spades. She did not answer many personal question and judging by the steely look in her eyes she would never tell him how she knew so much about this world or why she held herself with the air of a noblewoman yet moved with grace of someone who had received formal training.

But she did answer most off his questions. Some answers disturbing him more then he had expected.

Souls.

Hollows

An afterlife that was a life all in itself.

Kido.

Shinigami.

Swords with souls. And at that thought his own hand clenched around the hilt of the blade he had picked up in the forest.

Just what kind of place had he found himself in and more importantly what was he going to do now?

Sasuke did not have the slightest idea.

A purpose had never been something he had lacked in his life.

Impress his father.

Revenge. Against Itachi. Against Konoha. Against Madara.

One had followed the other. But know?

"You can stay here for until you come to a decision."

His eyes snapped up towards the old woman. Kureha-oba-san was not looking at him, instead she had gone back to cleaning the dishes with a serene smile on her face. As if feeling his gaze directed at her she looked up.

"You will have to make yourself useful around the house of course. I'm no longer as young as I used to be and a little help would be welcome."

Sasuke observed her for a moment longer before coming to a decision. For now he would stay, if only to repay her for her help and maybe collect some more information about this strange place he had found himself in and about those Shinigami who were seemingly the ones in charge.

Information was vital. It was something he had originally learned in the academy but then forgotten as he moved on with his life, causing him to make a lot of decisions that he would not have made had he known better.

He would not make the same mistake twice.

A voice in the back of his mind, one that sounded far too familiar for his comfort, snorted.

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I hope it was to your liking.

I don't really like this chapter all that much. But somehow it did not improve when I tried to rewrite it. At first I though about writing the whole question and answer session between Sasuke and Kureha.

But somehow... well most of you know Bleach I think and just repeating thoses explanations would hae been terribly boring. Things that are of importance will be explaint once they come up again.

For all of you that are worried that Kureha, the dreadful OC of doom will take over the story... please don't worry. She is not all that important. She might get mentioned again, as she is the person who explained the basic goings of Soul Society to Sasuke.

And well she has a story, it might appear again, but she originally did not even have a name. It wass just strange to write "the old woman" etc, again and again.

So she got a name.

Mainly becauuse it makes it easier to write about her and given that Sasuke will spend some time with her I though giving her a name seemed prudent enough.

For know I will warn you that she will most likely be mentioned at the beginningof the next chapter and after that Sasuke is off to Soul Society.

Read and Review!


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